Busch crash: Kurt, Kyle collide in final segment

CONCORD, N.C. -- An unusually clean and uneventful Nextel Cup All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway erupted into brotherly chaos on the second lap of the fourth and final segment of the event Saturday night, as Busch brothers Kurt and Kyle got together and ended each other's evening (watch video).

Alan Gustafson, crew chief of Kyle Busch's No. 5 Chevrolet, blamed Kurt Busch for the accident.

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Kurt Busch blamed Kyle, but then the big brother is always going to blame the little brother, isn't he?

And Kyle? Well, it seemed he threatened to kick his older brother's butt on his radio immediately after the incident. But he snuck out of the track afterward without speaking to the media, so he was unwilling to clarify his position.

"We got together," said Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 2 Dodge. "I was making a clean move on the 31 [of driver Jeff Burton], and then I had a car to my inside when I'm on the bottom lane."

That car was the one being driven by Kyle Busch. Kurt said he knew the day would come when the two got into each other on a Nextel Cup racetrack. He just didn't think it was going to be Saturday night.

"I was waiting for the day when we got together and we did it when we were racing for a million bucks," Kurt said. "You know, the tough part is I wrecked real close to the end.

"That was a bummer, to have my little brother pull that move on me. Maybe I should have given an inch instead of taken an inch from him -- but hey, that's what the All-Star race is all about. I just hate that I've got a wrecked racecar and so does he."

Gustafson said it shouldn't have happened.

"[Kurt] was struggling to get by the 31 and Kyle got underneath him. That was the right move. I'm sure Kurt was frustrated," Gustafson said.

Soon so was Kyle -- as well as Gustafson, of course.

"It's hard to tell Kyle to calm down when I can't even do it myself," Gustafson said.

He was especially upset because he thought the No. 5 car sponsored by Kellogg's cereal had a great chance to win. Kyle Busch led a total of 24 laps during the Challenge's four segments -- four more than eventual winner Kevin Harvick. Only Matt Kenseth, who led a total of 36 before a pit-road speeding penalty set him back, led more laps.

Kyle Busch won $75,000 for finishing first in the second segment, but that was a far car from the $1 million Harvick hauled in as the winner of the final segment.

"We had a good car, a real good car. I thought we could win the race," Gustafson said. "Matt got us on that restart, and we got back there a little bit -- but our strategy was playing out. The 2 was struggling getting by the 31 and Kyle got a good run, and then they got together down in 1 and 2.

"The guys worked their tails off and did a real good job. We had a fast racecar."

He denied that the fact that it was Kyle's older brother who was involved in the night-ending wreck made it even more difficult to take.

"When you have guys who work the way on these cars the way these guys do, and the way these guys work in the shop, it doesn't matter who wrecks you or how you wreck. You're going to be upset -- especially when you've got a car that's driving like that," Gustafson said.

"We wanted to come here and win. We wanted to win a million dollars. We all know it's a lot of prestige and all that. ... Kyle did a good job. He did a good job all night. It's unfortunate."

Kurt Busch said he planned on talking with his little bro very soon.

"I'm sure we'll talk to each other," he said. "It's just tough to have this scenario happen out on the track, but inevitably it was going to happen. We'll see what he has to say about it, and we'll see what we can do to discuss it -- but right now I'm not eating any Kellogg's anytime soon."